Attaching binder material tape and inserting elastic tape in the leg openings of women's panties and men's underbriefs is a well known garment assemble method and there are various sewing systems to accomplish these operations. As seen in PRIOR ART FIG. 1 and 1A excess lengths of binder material tape and elastic tape overhang or extend past the leading and trailing edges of the garment fabric. In most situations this extra material is wasted and is cut off in the next sewing operation called "closing the side seams". The elastic tape is expensive and since there are four ends on each garment, the cost of this waste is high. This high cost of waste per garment is multiplied greatly since an operator can produce thousands of garments per day.
Furthermore, when the elastic tape extends across the side seam, it produces an uncomfortable and bulky seam which can result in sewing and trim knife problems in later sewing operations. This could result in down time for corrections and repairs of the sewing machine.
Other garment assembly applications, for example when applying elastic tape to the body openings in sweat pants, also waste excess lengths of elastic tape. When assembling the foot opening for a pair of sweat pants there are elastic tape overhangs extending past the leading and trailing edges of the garment fabric. These overhangs are usually cut off and wasted. Since the elastic tape used in sweat pants is quite wide this wasted material is very costly. The side seaming problem is also present in the sweat pants assembly operation.
In these prior art garment assembly methods the elastic tape is fed to the top surface (the outside of the garment) of the garment fabric. The elastic tape feeder that feeds the tape to the top surface of the garment is located between the operator and the stitch forming area and is an obstruction to the operators view. As a result this is a difficult and tedious operation for the operator. In performing this operation if the elastic tape drifts slightly to the left an edge of the elastic tape can become exposed. Since the tape has been applied to the outer surface of the garment the exposed edge is visible and distracts from the garment's appearance.
Applicants' have invented a method and device that produces a superior garment that does not have these problems. Rather than inserting the elastic tape at the beginning of the sewing operation applicants delay the insertion of the elastic tape for a preset distance such that the leading edge of the elastic tape trails the leading edge of the garment being stitched. The elastic tape feeder is located below the sewing machine work surface which does not obscure the operator's view of the stitch forming area and feeds the elastic tape to the underside of the garment (the inside of the garment).
When creating a bound edge, the edge of the elastic tape can become slightly exposed which adversely affects the appearance and acceptability of the garment. By applying the elastic tape to the inside of the garment, a slightly exposed edge of the elastic tape is not visible when the garment is being worn and thus the garment is more attractive and appealing to the customer.
When using applicants' new method and device the binding and elastic tape continues as usual along the edge of the garment being bound and the elastic tape is then cut short at a predetermined point such that the trailing edge of the elastic tape leads the trailing edge of the garment being stitched. As a result of using applicants' new method and device, not only is the high waste cost greatly reduced, a superior garment is produced. Since the operators view of the stitch forming area has been improved and is now unobstructed, generally speaking the quality of the work product is improved. Furthermore, the operator will experience less fatigue and the quality of work will be maintained. Still further the resulting garment is more attractive and will have a more comfortable, and less bulky closing seam.
Pegasus Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company, LTD, has exhibited a sewing machine that attaches the leading edge of the binder tape to the leading edge of the garment without inserting elastic tape at the start of sewing. An elastic tape is fed to the top surface of the garment (the outside of the garment) slid into the binding tap and its leading edge is tacked to the garment. The trailing edge of the elastic tape is also tacked to the garment before the end of the sewing and elastic tape is not inserted to the end of the sewing. The operators view of the stitch forming area is obscured by the elastic tape feeder and if the tape drifts slightly to the left its edge will be visible on the outside surface of the garment.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and device that can be used to produce garments of superior quality in which the edge of the elastic tape will not be visible on the outer surface of the garment.